5x5 Deadlifts!

J

JustinRVA

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So, as long as I've been lifting, this is my first journal. My lifting routine varies from month to month. I recently went back to my 3 day split, Monday/Wednesday/Friday (Chest/Tri's, Back/Bi's, Legs/Shoulders). For the last few months, I have been on a Monday/Thursday split where I took it back to the basics and was 5x5 Dead lift, squat, flat bench, overhead press and power cleans to come back from an injury. My gains were good, but it started taking a toll on my body, so I went back to my 3 day schedule. Last October, I had a three month layoff when I was suffering from some pretty severe tendinitis in my left elbow. I lost a lot during this time as the pain was so bad that it hurt to even lift my coffee mug at work.

My max stats pre-injury were Sq - 335lb / Bp - 255lb / Dl - 355lb

After my injury, I spent a lot of time working with light weight and high reps to ease my self back into it and help the recovery, and really didn't get back into good weight until about March when I started the compound routine.

My current max stats post-injury are Sq - 275lb / Bp - 210lb / Dl - 310lb

I know you're thinking "How did his squat drop with an elbow injury?", but the pain was so bad that I couldn't even hold the bar on my shoulders to do a squat. I think I find myself more hesitant now with my lifts after my injury, which sucks, but it is what it is, I guess. As long as I keep moving back up, I'm fine with it. I have noticed that my form is much better now. I can only assume that I pay more attention to it now due to worrying about re-injuring myself. I have gotten my barbell curl up to 125lbs, which was great for my motivation, but being so tall, I can curl 125 all day and never have arms bigger than 17 inches, unless I quit my job and become a pro-wrestler. My diet post-injury isn't as good as I would like it to be, but initially when I went heavy again, I started eating like a horse to put on some weight, and I've pretty much just been eating like a horse since then. I need to go on a cut soon, and hopefully posting what I eat during the day will help me cut back once I read it and realize that maybe I shouldn't have steak and potatoes for breakfast.

Having said that, for breakfast, I had about an 8oz serving of steak with roughly 1&1/2 cups of baked potato.

For lunch, I have about 2 cups if Ziti with 3 home made meatballs and a pork chop. I could probably do without the carbs, but I justify it by saying it's my pre-workout meal and I love everything the wife cooks.
 
Today was chest and triceps. I was very surprised by how well my session was considering I only slept for five hours last night. I need to up my bench 5lbs next week. I need to get back to my pre-injury stats. I also started my pyramid scheme last week coming off of 5x5 since March and I'm really feeling it :sport:

All weight in pounds.

Bench Press - 135x8 - 135x8 - 165x6 - 165x6 - 185x4 - 185x4 - 205x3 - 210x2

Incline Bench - 110x8 - 110x8 - 130x6 - 130x6 - 160x4 - 160x4

Neck Press - 75x8 - 75x8 - 105x6 - 105x6 - 105x6

Dumb Bell Flys(Weight is total of both dumb bells) 50x6 - 60x6 - 60x6

Dumb Bell Tricep Extentions - 55x8 - 55x8 - 55x8

The rest of the session was finished on the cable cage, so the "weight" on the plates is clearly not what you're actually lifting. Having said that...

Cable Tricep Pulldown - 100x8 - 100x8 - 100x8

Cable Overhead Tricep Extension - 60x8 - 60x8 - 60x8

Total time was about an hour and 10 minutes, as usual, including a good stretch at the end.

Next week, I think I'll swap out the Neck Presses with some Reverse Grip Flat Bench. That was one of the only lifts I could do lightly when my elbow was injured and kept me clinging on to any strength I had during that period. It's a menacing lift when you have any kind of respectable weight on the bar, which is why I love it so much. Maybe I'll take out the Dumb Bell Flys and do heavy Reverse Grip Bench and light Neck Presses. I need to focus more on upper chest for a while, as all I did during my 5x5 months was flat bench and military presses, and those are more shoulders than anything.
 
The menu for work today consists of 2 Natural Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches for breakfast, a small portion of Ziti for whenever and about 12oz of brown rice with chicken. That's actually cutting it back compared to what I've been eating.
 
I was eating a bit more than I should have when I was coming back heavy from injury. I could afford to cut out my 10 o'clock meal haha.
 
I would go for a jog a couple times a week, but the middle of summer in Virginia is just hot and humid. Too miserable to jog outside.
 
JustinRVA said:
I would go for a jog a couple times a week, but the middle of summer in Virginia is just hot and humid. Too miserable to jog outside.
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Wuss! Even I am still running, and I hate the heat. My slot is midday and it's around 32 degrees C nearly 90 F for those not used to metric. Has slowed me down, not happy on that but still doing it.
 
Honestly, I could run in the heat. I used to. I would have to just get used to it again. My problem is really my work schedule. I used to row for 45 minutes every morning when I had to be at work at 7:30, but I got promoted almost 2 years ago and my hours changed. Now I have to be here at 6am, and getting up at 5am is bad enough, let alone getting up earlier than that to do anything else. I know I'm making excuses, but once I'm home and my girls are attached to me, between them, doing house chores, sitting down for family dinner and getting ready for the next day's work, I don't have time to jog at night.
 
I definately know that one. Where I worked before I ran and cycled to work, now it's too far to justify the time for, would be about 2 hours each way, so I drive.
The run is now a lunchtime job and has to be so to make sure I don't lose my stamina.
I remember years ago the ridicule someone was giving men who did set after set of bicep curls and no cardio. He was pointing out that there are no campaigns going on to save people bicep health, because there are virtually no people dying of weak biceps compared to weak hearts.
That aside, I am just too beligerant to give up an area of fitness I pride myself on.
 
I wish I could run during my lunch break. Then again, I wish I had a lunch break. The only time I really leave my desk is to get food out of the fridge or go to the bathroom.
 
The menu today consists of a natty pb&j on wheat, a small serving of brown rice and chicken, a cup of home made guacamole with whole grain chips, and a rather decent sized serving of baked chicken with potatoes and carrots. I brought a little more today because yesterday I got a little hungry between breakfast and lunch and I didn't like it.
 
Today was back and bi's. Back and bi's tends to run longer than an hour(Dead lifts usually take a bit), but I couldn't stay at the gym for more than an hour today, so I went balls to the wall in the hour that I did have.

All weight in pounds

Dead Lift - 145x8 - 145x8 - 235x6 - 235x6 - 300x4 - 300x4 - 315x2 - 315x2

Barbell Row - 135x8 - 135x8 - 155x6 - 155x6 - 175x4 - 175x4

Cable Pull Down - 150x8 - 150x8 - 150x8 - 190x4 - 190x4 - 190x4

Reverse Dumb Bell Fly(Weight is total of 1 dumb bell. Using two) - 20x8 - 20x8 - 20x8 - 30x6 - 30x6 - 30x6

Barbell Curl - 75x8 - 75x8 - 85x6 - 85x6 - 95x4 - 95x4 - 105x3 - 105x3

Dumb Bell Curl (Weight is total of 1 dumb bell. Using two) - 25x6 - 25x6 - 25x6

Dead Lift went up 5lbs today. Happy about that. 5lbs closer to where I was. I always get a sense of satisfaction when I come down with my last dead lift feeling like I could lift more weight. That's a big confidence booster going into adding more next week. I wish I could have worked in some traps, but I just didn't have the time. I wasn't about to take out my rows or pull downs to do shrugs for 15 minutes. For a muscle that I've always wanted to look good, I don't put to much emphasis on them. I wish I could have gotten in another set of bi's. They have always been my weakest point. I know biceps are a show muscle, but any guy who's ever lifted weights has wanted to have bigger arms. I could have an arm day, but I've never put serious thought into it. Having bigger biceps isn't going help me dead, squat or bench more. When I finally buy a new a house and set up a weight room, then I'll have an arm day.
 
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The work menu today consists of 2 natty pb&j's on wheat, which I already ate, a rather large salad with a cut up chicken breast, a small portion of still leftover Ziti and some more home made guac with whole grain chips.
 
I'm not your height, but I am long limbed, great for running not so good for lifting and posing. My biceps were one of the first things to drop back when I went from aesthetics to power. Wasn't happy about it at the time but I was asked to demonstrate form on a camber curl and twist curl a year or two ago and found that I haven't lost strength in my bis at all.
I may build them up again someday, wife likes them, but that would add time ot my sessions I rarely have so it gets a low billing on the priority scale.
 
Having 30 inch long arms, I don't know if I'll ever be able to build them up the way I want. My bi's could definitely be bigger though, if I set aside a day to just do bi's and tri's.
 
The difficulty of having an arms day is where to put the darned thing.
Bench, shoulder press etc. prime mover triceps, rowing, pull downs etc. prime mover biceps. Finding a day when these have recovered and grown enough to be hit again to good effect can be difficult.
Difficult to do a lot of compound work as I do and it appears you do too, and be able to make really good use of an isolation session. Got to be worth a go though. If you need to use a home gym you are welcome to share mine, though it may not be local for you.
 
CrazyOldMan said:
The difficulty of having an arms day is where to put the darned thing.
Bench, shoulder press etc. prime mover triceps, rowing, pull downs etc. prime mover biceps. Finding a day when these have recovered and grown enough to be hit again to good effect can be difficult.
Difficult to do a lot of compound work as I do and it appears you do too, and be able to make really good use of an isolation session. Got to be worth a go though. If you need to use a home gym you are welcome to share mine, though it may not be local for you.
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Yeah, that's a bit of a commute for me. I'm simple enough in my lift to where I won't need a lot for a home gym though. Adjustable bench, squat cage and a small dumb bell rack. I was actually looking at a bench with a cable attachment as well. I can do without pretty much all cable exercises except my close grip pull downs. I love the workout my bi's and lats get from that. I prefer those to wide grip pull-ups, as a good wide grip pull-up isn't easy for a guy with arms as long as mine who weighs 240 lbs.

I have thought about needing full recovery for an arm day and also a full recovery after before I start with chest and back again. The only way I can figure the split would work is..

Monday - Chest/Shoulders
Tuesday - Back
Wednesday - Rest
Thursday - Legs
Friday - Arms
Saturday - Rest
Sunday - Rest

Excluding holding the bar for squats on leg day, that's two days before and two days after for recovery.
 
Looks like a good split. As long as you are careful what goes in on legs day. I do remember having tired arms on legs days before and suffering so they get used a bit.
The set up I have is in my profile and is ideal for me. The cage has cable set up and chins bar attached. No dumbells, I use discs and kettles instead. Not being in the UK will mean it will be a lot cheaper too, they extract the urine over here.
 
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